Barrel ageing dry riesling sounds like a quirky new thing to try to broaden the appeal of one of the wine industry’s (but not consumers’) best-loved grape varieties. In fact, Ernst Loosen, of Dr. Loosen in Germany’s Mosel valley, has been revitalising riesling in the fashion that was the norm for his grandfather.

Typically in Sancerre a producer’s classic blend is likely to be blended from across different soils according to the plots of vineyards owned or managed by the domaine. But Domaine Fouassier was one of the early ones to bottle wines from particular vineyard parcels, having done so for about 30 years.

The wines were part of a tiny glimpse at the world of Sancerre’s lieux dits, from three of the more widely known single vineyard site names: Chêne Marchand at Bué, le Cul de Beaujeu and la Côte des Monts Damnés, both at Chavignol.

The kiwis have created a category of white wines they call the aromatics. All of them too niche to garner much attention on their own, but together they are gathering a bit of a following. Well maybe soon.